The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council is a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including business and community leaders, law enforcement officials, nonprofit service providers, attorneys, and judges. They all have a common goal of improving the fairness and effectiveness of the justice system in Oklahoma County. Every quarter, they release reports detailing the progress of county-wide reform efforts. You can download the complete report by clicking the link below.
Highlights from the Annual Report:
OK County jail hit record low population.
The population inside the Oklahoma County Detention Center hit a record low in the past year, and further improvements planned for the local justice system will continue building on progress. The report showed a population decrease of 46% since 2015, with a new record low yearly average of 1,385. Notably, Oklahoma County’s jail population dropped lower than Tulsa County, despite having a larger general population, highlighting the ongoing improvements in the county’s justice system.
“We are seeing the benefit of system-wide cooperation right now in the data. Improved cooperation between agencies, policing reforms, massive efforts to clear folks’ warrants and more diversion and support programs than we’ve ever had before in Oklahoma County are all a part of the dropping jail population. There is quite a bit of work to be done, as detailed by the Crime and Justice Institute study, but there is a clear path to initiatives that can help create a fairer and more effective justice system,” said Timothy Tardibono, CJAC’s Executive Director.
Successful policing reforms have contributed to a portion of the jail’s decreased population. The Oklahoma City Police Department has increased its use of “cite and release” practices by 61%, and arrests for municipal charges are down.
Similarly, a major, multi-agency push to clear warrants across Oklahoma County has impacted arrest and jail bookings. Under this initiative, more than 1500 warrants were cleared in the past year
Read our full Annual Report to learn more.
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